In medico-technical devices it is frequently necessary to provide interfaces to single-use articles. Said interfaces can become necessary, for example, to allow for pressure and/or temperature measuring and monitoring in the single-use article or the passage for fluids or gases. Interfaces can also enable optically, acoustically and/or mechanically acting measuring systems to be incorporated in circulations, or filters and further volumes can be incorporated in a tube system. For obtaining a standardized configuration of said interfaces in plural cases a connection is made by means of the standardized Luer cone.
In medical devices for extracorporeal blood treatment (dialysis) for example single-use articles are used forming at least of the intake and discharge lines and plural air separators a so called transition system by which the patient's blood is fed back to a dialyser and to the patient. Those transition systems are exchanged after each treatment and are not re-used for other patients.
In the field of extracorporeal blood treatment it further belongs to the state of the art to provide the single-use article with a female Luer connector adapted to be connected to the male counter-piece provided at the medical device for monitoring the pressure of the extracorporeal circulation. This connection has to be newly made for each treatment which means that the part of the connection provided at the medical device can be worn or damaged by improper use. In such case it must be possible to exchange the connecting part provided at the medical device.
The part provided at the medical device can be made of different materials. It is known, for example, to use stainless steels, steels having a surface coating for corrosion protection (e.g. chromium or nickel plated), base metals having a surface coating (e.g. anodizing) or plastic materials. Moreover, the connectors can be fastened in the housing of the medical device in various ways, which can be performed especially by gluing or screwing. The selected fastening has to absorb forces acting in the circumferential direction as they occur when screwing on the single-use article. Furthermore, the fastening has to be capable of absorbing axially acting forces e.g. by tensile forces on the single-use article. On the whole, the fastening should also be detachable, however, so as to be able to exchange the connector if needed.
An inexpensive solution for manufacturing a connector constitutes the fabrication as an out-of-tool part in injection molding technique. Possible material variants are thermoplastics such as POM, PA, PP, PEEK, PPSU, PSU or PPS. However, the properties of a connector manufactured in this way impede applying the fastening techniques currently known as state of the art or conflict with the requirement of exchangeability.